On October 19, the 2025 First Shanghai Senior Learning Curriculum Expo and the Tenth Shanghai Double Ninth Festival Senior Education Achievement Showcase were held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. At the event, DHU's senior university presented its featured costume culture show.
All costumes featured in the program were researched, designed, refined, or produced by an expert team from the College of Fashion and Design at DHU. Students from the university's senior fashion performance class appeared on stage wearing classic garments from different dynasties. The distinctive features of garments from different eras converged and interacted, forming a flowing river of costume history.
Amidst vivid professional explanations, the music of different dynasties, and the AI-generated paintings, the clothing is no longer just static fabric; instead, it becomes a living historical carrier - connecting literary allusions with the characteristics of the times, and telling the aesthetic interests and life wisdom of Chinese clothing over thousands of years.
When silver-haired elders walked the runway hand in hand with cheerful children, the figures of the two generations overlapped under the spotlight. It was not only a dialogue of time, but also a vivid portrayal of the continuous inheritance of Chinese costume culture. The performance also highlighted a series of meticulously crafted works led by Professor Zhang Zufang of DHU. The two traditional costumes presented at this exhibition integrate techniques such as intangible cultural heritage paper-cutting, eco- friendly processing, and photoelectric integration, immersing audience in the vibe of the innovation of traditional craftsmanship and the charm of cultural confidence through the interplay of light and shadow.
The costume culture show made its debut last year at the Shanghai Lifelong Learning Experience Base Carnival, where it quickly drew attention for its distinctive style and profound cultural depth. Since then, the program has been brought to nursing homes as well as primary and secondary schools and univeristies as part of cultural volunteer service initiatives. Invited again for this exhibition, the production team undertook a comprehensive refinement and upgrade of the show despite a tight schedule. With dedicated guidance from instructors, the performers overcame challenges and delivered the performance with confidence and enthusiasm.
The audience present at the event all expressed their appreciation, stating that this performance, with its costumes serving as a cultural medium, conveyed the profoundness and innovation of Chinese civilization, and showcased the spirit of lifelong learning among the elderly. It was wonderful and professional! Media outlets such as Wenhui Daily, Eastday, and Shedu News covered this event.
